Miyajima, Hiroshima

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The town of Miyajima from Mount Misen, with the torii of Itsukushima Shrine at the bottom

Miyajima (宮島町, Miyajima-chō^?) was a town located on the island of Itsukushima (often referred to, incorrectly, as Miyajima Island in English—'jima' and 'shima' both mean 'island') in Saeki District, Hiroshima, Japan. On November 3, 2005, it was amalgamated into the city of Hatsukaichi.

As of 2003, the town had an estimated population of 2,018 and a density of 66.40 persons per km². The total area was 30.39 km².

Torii of Itsukushima Shrine

The island is connected to the mainland by regular ferries to Miyajimaguchi, and less frequent ferries to the city of Hiroshima. It is easy to get from Hiroshima Station to Miyajimaguchi either by train or by street car. The latter trip takes about 75 minutes.

There are several tourist attractions on the island, notably Itsukushima Shrine, Senjo-kaku ("Hall of a thousand mats"), Daigan-ji Temple, and Daisho-in Temple. There is also a cable car from near the town, which runs almost to the top of Mount Misen, the highest point of the island. At Mount Misen station of the cable car, you can sometimes watch monkeys running around freely.

[edit] Merger with Hatsukaichi

In August 2004, both Hatsukaichi and the city of Hiroshima expressed an interest in annexing the town. The people in Miyajima supported Hatsukaichi. A committee for discussing the merger was created as soon as possible and the town was amagalated with the city of Hatsukaichi on November 3, 2005.